The on-field rivalry between LaLiga giants Real Madrid vs Barcelona rivalry is matched by fierce competition off the pitch in the form of social media following. I’ve been tracking the progress of these famous Spanish clubs over the past 6 months over different social media platforms.

Whilst Real continues to lead the way, the Catalans are making up ground fast. The current state of play can be seen below (the table updates hourly, so what you see will have actually stayed current since the publishing of this article on 8th April 2019).

This really does illustrate how much of a 2 (maybe 3 if you include Atletico Madrid) team competition!

As of today, 8th April 2019, Barcelona are about to enter into a Champions League quarter-final with Manchester United, with Lionel Messi leading the way. Real Madrid, on the other hand, are (for their high standards of success), not doing very well at all. Knocked out of the Champions League already (by surprise package, Ajax) and sitting third behind Barcelona and Atletico Madrid in the LaLiga table, Los Blancos are suffering.

Losing their superstar player Cristiano Ronaldo seemed to have an almighty impact in terms of their success on the pitch and it was reflected on social media, and felt particularly hard on Instagram. Using Instagram as the main measure for indication of player and club image and thus popularity/following, take a look at how the gap is narrowing:

Instagram following 8th April 2019.

The first data point was recorded in October 2018, when Real had a “lead” of 3,543,793 over Barca in Instagram followers. Today, the Madrid club have surpassed 70 million followers and are to be congratulated on the achievement (70,552,670) – the first club in the world to reach the landmark. Barcelona are, however, cutting the gap with 67,741,220 followers – and are now just 2,811,450 followers behind. That is a difference in the size of the gap of 732,343 followers in just 25 weeks.

So how do we attribute this difference? It can only really come down to three main factors: a) On-field success, b) The social media appeal of each clubs’ star players and c) The execution of the clubs’ Instagram accounts.

While the number of followers on social media might not at first seem like a very interesting point, it helps drive profits to clubs which they need to compete as the sums of money paid to players reaches more and more lofty levels. At this rate, Barcelona look set to steak Real’s crown on Instagram in two years’ time. However, as we know too well, Real Madrid don’t accept defeat in anything without a fight and will surely hit back in 2019/20 season.

The top clubs in the world have gathered quite a following across the different social media channels. Here you’ll see how they stand as of today. Some of the results here may come as something of a surprise.

You’ll no doubt be eager to watch the Barcelona v Real Madrid live stream on Saturday at 15:15 UK time. Unfortunately, El Clasico live streaming for UK viewers will NOT be available on terrestrial TV, Sky, BT or any of the usual suspects. The good news, though, is that you can still watch it – The only way that UK viewers can get a decent and legal stream is by having a funded account with online bookmakers bet365.

You could, of course, try one of those dodgy sites where you have to click away loads of seedy adverts and then quickly get fed up with the jerky, stop-start live streaming quality and maybe even get a virus on your PC. Or, if you want to enjoy it on a quality, reliable stream you will be able to watch the Barcelona v Real Madrid live stream from kick off until full time from any tablet or mobile or perhaps even web enabled TV where you have Internet access.

How to get the Barcelona v Real Madrid live stream

You will need to go to bet365.com to acces the Barcelona v Real Madrid live stream. If you’re already a customer there and have funds in your account, then you’re already good to go!

If you’ve not signed up, simply complete the registration process and make a deposit (there is no minimum amount). Then you will be able to access the Barcelona v Real Madrid live stream when the match is on at 15:15 Saturday afternoon UK time.

Barcelona v Real Madrid live stream – Match preview

FC Barcelona are unbeaten in their last four home La Liga games, while Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last 17 away domestic league matches. You’d expect this to be a tight match and Barca are currently the favourites. In fact, odds on Real Madrid to win are as high as 3/1 at time of writing.

With Barcelona having lost twice already this season, and Madrid unbeaten, there is a six point gap between the two teams. In fact, Barca are only above Sevilla (both on 27 points) on goal difference. So why are they the favourites? Simple – Barca just have to win this match and they generally lift for this massive fixture. It’s El Clasico after all and there is home pride at stake, plus they simply they can’t afford to get further behind in the league at this stage. To lose a six-pointer would be a real shock and they really need for Neymar to get back in the goals again after 7 games without one. Unfortunately, Ex-Tottenham superstar Gareth Bale is missing for this game, and that lack of creativity does not help Real Madrid’s cause much at all.

One thing is for sure, though, there is always a huge buzz for this match (not just locally but around the world) and it’s another chance to savour the next chapter in the battle between Messi and Ronaldo as part of this quest for Spanish football supremacy.

Here’s that link again that you will need in order to access the Barcelona v Real Madrid live stream this Saturday at 15:15: